Clothes folding machine and clothes hanger

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for folding a shirt. More particularly, the apparatus includes a folding plate assembly that includes a center plate, which has a first and second lateral side, a first side plate, which is pivotably connected to the first lateral side of the center plate, and a second side plate, which is pivotably connected to the second side plate of the center plate. The apparatus is designed to fold a shirt when the shirt is placed on the folding plate assembly by folding the first and second side plates backwardly so that the respective side portions of the shirt are folded behind the shirt. A hanger is also provided for hanging a shirt. The hanger is sized and shaped to orient shoulder portions of the shirt so that the lower portion of the shirt expands in a laterally outward direction and thereby inhibits the formation of folds therein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/156,622 filed Mar. 2, 2009; U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/187,472 filed Jun. 16, 2009; and U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/247,712 filed Oct. 1, 2009,the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to clothes folding machines and clotheshangers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Clothes folding machines have been known in the art. For instance, FIGS.1 and 2 illustrate a shirt folding machine 10 available from Sang JinInc. Co. Ltd., located in Inchon, Korea, under Model No. SNC-330 (seealso http://www.sungjinnc.com). The folding machine 10 includes afolding plate assembly 12 having a center plate 14 which is supportedfrom a base (not shown) of the folding machine 10 via a center beam 16such that it is substantially stationary relative to the base. A guideplate 18 is attached to the center plate 16 adjacent an upper end 20thereof such that a groove or channel 24 is formed between the guideplate 18 and the center plate 14.

Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the folding plate assembly 12 alsoincludes a pair of side plates 26 a, 26 b, one of which is located onone side of the center plate 14 and the other of which is located on anopposite side of the center plate 14. Each of the side plates 26 a, 26 bhas a slopped upper end 28, a lower end 30, an inner side edge 32, whichextends substantially linearly from a corresponding one of the upperends 28 to a corresponding one of the lower ends 30. The side plates 26a, 26 b are supported from the base via a pair of rods 34 a, 34 b,respectively, which are pivotable via an electrically operated pneumaticcylinder or cylinders housed within the base. The side plates 26 a, 26 bare affixed to the rods 34 a, 34 b, respectively, such that they arepivotable between their expanded positions (see FIG. 1), in which theside plates 26 a, 26 b are generally co-planar with the center plate 14,and their collapsed positions (see FIG. 2), in which the side plates 26a, 26 b are swung rearwardly (as indicated by arrows A, B, respectively,in FIG. 1) toward a rear surface of the center plate 14.

A hanger 36 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) is provided for use in conjunction withthe folding machine 10 for facilitating folding of a shirt. Moreparticularly, the hanger 36 includes a hook 38, a generally rectangularbase section 40 and a trapezoidal middle section 42 connecting the hook38 to the base section 40, which has lateral ends 43 a, 43 b.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, to fold a shirt 44, the base section 40of the hanger 36 is placed in the groove 24 of the center plate 14. Withthe side plates 26 a, 26 b positioned in their expanded positions, theshirt 44 is placed over the folding plate assembly 12 (see FIG. 3). Oneor more buttons 46 of the shirt 44 is then buttoned up. Next, sleeves 48a, 48 b of the shirt 44 are manually folded rearwardly over the sideplates 26 a, 26 b (as indicated by arrows C and D in FIG. 3) against arear surface of the folding plate assembly 12. Thereafter, afoot-operated switch (not shown) of the machine 10 is operated so as tocause the side plates 26 a, 26 b to pivot from their expanded positionsto their pivoted positions such that the shirt 44 is folded about therods 34 a, 34 b (see FIG. 4) or fold lines E, F (see FIG. 2). After astorage bag 50 (see FIG. 5) is pulled over the folded shirt 44, theshirt 44 is removed from the folding plate assembly 12 together with thebag 50 by pulling the hanger 38 upwardly.

The folding machine 10 described above has various shortcomings. Forinstance, because the folding plate assembly 12 does not properlysupport the shirt 44, wrinkles or folds 52 form adjacent a lower portion54 of the shirt 44 when the shirt 44 is placed over the folding plateassembly 12 (see FIG. 3), after the shirt 44 has been folded by thefolding plate assembly 12 (see FIG. 4) and/or when the folded shirt 44is removed from the folding plate assembly 12 (see FIG. 5). Moreover,because the hanger 36 does not have a proper shape and/or dimension(e.g., when placed in the groove 24, the lateral ends 43 a, 43 b arepositioned laterally inwardly relative to the fold lines E, F shown inFIG. 2), when the folded shirt 44 is removed from the folding machine10, the shirt 44 tend to collapse such that additional wrinkles or folds52 may form (see FIG. 5).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a hanger isprovided for hanging a shirt having shoulder portions and a lowerportion. More particularly, the hanger includes a hook and a bodydepending from the hook for supporting the shirt therefrom. The bodyincludes laterally extending body sections for supporting the shoulderportions of the shirt when the shirt is hung from the body of thehanger. The body sections are sized and shaped so as to orient theshoulder portions of the shirt such that the lower portion of the shirtexpands in a laterally outward direction and thereby inhibits theformation of folds therein.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, anapparatus is provided for folding a shirt having shoulder portions, sideportions and a lower portion. More particularly, the apparatus includesa folding plate assembly that includes a center plate, which has a firstlateral side, a second lateral side and a receptacle for receiving aclothes hanger. The folding plate assembly also includes a first sideplate, which is pivotably connected to the first lateral side of thecenter plate so as to pivot backwardly from a first extended position toa first folded position, and a second side plate, which is pivotablyconnected to the second lateral side of the center plate so as to pivotbackwardly from a second extended position to a second folded position.The folding plate assembly is sized and shaped such that when a shirt isplaced over the folding plate assembly, the first and second side platesare substantially aligned with the respective side portions of theshirt. The first and second side plates cause the respective sideportions of the shirt to be folded behind the shirt when the first andsecond side plates pivot from their respective extended positions totheir respective folded positions. Each of the first and second sideplates has an upper edge which is substantially horizontal so as toorient a corresponding one of the shoulder portions of the shirt suchthat the lower portion of the shirt expands in a laterally outwarddirection, thereby inhibiting the formation of folds in the lowerportion of the shirt when the side portions of the shirt are foldedbehind the shirt.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference ismade to the following detailed description of exemplary embodimentsconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a folding plate assembly of aconventional shirt folding machine, side plates of the folding plateassembly being illustrated in their expanded positions;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, except that the side plates of thefolding plate assembly are illustrated in their collapsed positions;

FIGS. 3-5 are schematic views illustrating a folding operationassociated with the folding plate assembly illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a shirt folding machine constructed inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is front elevational view of a folding plate assembly of thefolding machine shown in FIG. 6, side plates of the folding plateassembly being illustrated in their expanded positions;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, except that the side plates of thefolding plate assembly are illustrated in their collapsed positions;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the folding plate assembly;

FIG. 10A is a clothes hanger constructed in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10B is a clothes hanger constructed in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 11A-11D are schematic views illustrating a folding operation ofthe folding machine shown in FIGS. 6-9;

FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a clothes hanger constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view illustrating use of the clothes hanger shown in FIG.12;

FIG. 14 is a view illustrating a clothes hanger constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a view illustrating a clothes hanger constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 6 illustrates a shirt folding machine 100 constructed in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. More particularly, thefolding machine 100 includes a base 102 having a construction andoperation similar to those of a base of a conventional shirt foldingmachine. For instance, the base 102, which has a front end 104 and arear end 106, is provided with a plurality of wheels 108 for movablysupporting the folding machine 100. The base 102 also includes variousnovel features to be discussed herein. More particularly, the base 102is provided with a pneumatically operated cylinder or cylinders 110(shown schematically in broken-line representation in FIG. 6) connectedto a pressurized source of air 112 for operating various foldingcomponents of the folding machine 100. A foot-operated pneumatic valve114 is connected to the cylinder 110 via a hose 116 for operating thecylinder 110. As a result, the cylinder 110 is able to operate withoutthe use of any electrical component. Alternatively, the cylinder 110 andthe valve 114 may be replaced with any conventional mechanisms (e.g.,electrical motors, switches etc.).

Still referring to FIG. 6, the folding machine 100 includes a rack 118projecting from the rear end 106 of the base 102. The rack 118, whichhas a construction and function that are basically identical to those ofa rack of a conventional shirt folding machine, has a lower section 119a and an upper section 119 b removably connected to each other atremovable joints 119 c (only one of which is shown in FIG. 6). The rack118 also includes a support 120 for rotatably supporting thereon a rollof storage bags 122 and an overhang 124 such that a free end of the roll122 can be fed toward a shirt folding area 126 of the folding machine100.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, a folding plate assembly 128 isprovided above the front end 104 of the base 102. While the foldingplate assembly 128 has a construction and operation similar to those ofa folding plate assembly of a conventional shirt folding machine, itincludes various novel features of the present invention to be discussedherein. The folding plate assembly 128 includes a generally rectangularcenter plate 130 having an upper edge 132, which is substantiallyhorizontal, and a pair of opposed substantially vertical lateral edges134 a, 134 b. A support beam 136 projects from the front end 104 of thebase 102 for fixedly securing the center plate 130 relative to the base102. As a result, the center plate 130 is stationary relative to thebase 102. A guide plate 138 is attached to the center plate 130 adjacentthe upper edge 132 thereof. More particularly, the guide plate 138 isspaced from the center plate 130 so as to form a groove or channel 140(i.e., a receptacle) for purposes to be discussed below (see also FIG.9).

Still referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the folding plate assembly 128includes a pair of rods 142 a, 142 b projecting upwardly from the frontend 104 of the base 102. The rod 142 a is rotatably secured to thelateral edge 134 a of the center plate 130 via bearings 144 a, while therod 142 b is rotatably secured to the lateral edge 134 b of the centerplate 130 via bearings 144 b. The rods 142 a, 142 b are connected,either directly or indirectly, to the cylinder 110 in a conventionalmanner such that they are pivotable simultaneously in oppositedirections.

Now referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the folding plate assembly 128 includesa side plate 146 a, which is positioned adjacent the lateral edge 134 aof the center plate 130, and a side plate 146 b, which is positionedadjacent the lateral edge 134 b of the center plate 130. The side plates146 a, 146 b are fixedly secured to the rods 142 a, 142 b, respectively,via connectors 148 a and connectors 148 b, respectively, such that theside plates 146 a, 146 b can pivot conjointly with the rods 142 a, 142b, respectively. The construction of the side plates 142 a, 142 b willbe discussed in greater detail below.

Referring primarily to FIG. 7, the side plate 146 a has a substantiallyhorizontal upper edge 150 a which is substantially aligned verticallywith, or is positioned slightly below, the upper edge 132 of the centerplate 130. The side plate 146 a also has an outer lateral edge 152 a anda sloped edge 154 a connected to the outer lateral edge 152 a and theupper horizontal edge 150 a. Moreover, the side plate 146 a is providedwith a cutout 155 a in its upper right corner and includes an upperinner lateral edge 156 a, which is connected to the upper horizontaledge 150 a. A lower inner lateral edge 158 a is located below the cutout155 a and hence the upper inner lateral edge 156 a. As a result, theupper inner lateral edge 156 a is offset laterally outwardly from thelower inner lateral edge 158 a so as to form a laterally expanded space160 a between the upper inner lateral edge 156 a and the lateral edge134 a of the center plate 130 for purposes to be discussed below.

The side plate 146 b has a substantially horizontal upper edge 150 b(see FIG. 7) which is substantially aligned vertically with, or ispositioned slightly below, the upper edge 132 of the center plate 130.The side plate 146 b also has an outer lateral edge 152 b and a slopededge 154 b connected to the outer lateral edge 152 b and the upperhorizontal edge 150 b. Moreover, the side plate 146 b is provided with acutout 155 b in its upper left corner and includes an upper innerlateral edge 156 b, which is connected to the upper horizontal edge 150b. A lower inner lateral edge 158 b is located below the cutout 155 band hence the upper inner lateral edge 156 b. As a result, the upperinner lateral edge 156 b is offset laterally outwardly from the lowerinner lateral edge 158 b so as to form a laterally expanded space 160 bbetween the upper inner lateral edge 156 b and the lateral edge 134 b ofthe center plate 130 for purposes to be discussed below.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8 and 9, because the side plates 146 a, 146 bare affixed to the rods 142 a, 142 b, respectively, they are pivotablebetween their expanded positions (see FIG. 7 and the solid linerepresentation of the side plates 146 a, 146 b in FIG. 9), in which theside plate 146 a, 146 b are generally co-planar with the center plate130, and their collapsed positions (see FIG. 8 and the broken linerepresentation of the side plates 146 a, 146 b in FIG. 9), in which theside plate 146 a, 146 b are swung rearwardly (as indicated by arrows Gand H, respectively, in FIGS. 7 and 9) onto a rear surface of the centerplate 130.

With reference to FIG. 6, the support beam 136 has an upper section 137and a lower section 139, which are removably connected to each other viaconnecting plate 141. Similarly, each of the rods 142 a, 142 b has anupper section 143 and a lower section 145 removably connected to oneanother via a connection 147, which has a conventional construction(e.g., a threaded connection, etc.). Due to the provision of theremovable connections between the upper section 137 and the lowersection 139 of the support beam 136 and between the upper sections 143and the lower sections 145 of the rods, 142 a, 142 b, the folding plateassembly 128 can be detached or removed from the base 102. As a result,when the upper section 119 b of the rack 118 is removed from the lowersection 119 a of same, the machine 100 can be packaged compactly andshipped to, or stored in, a desired location.

FIG. 10A illustrates a clothes hanger 162 a constructed in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. More particularly, thehanger 162 a, which is made from a conventional metal wire, includes ahook 164 a, a base section 166 a and a middle section 168 a connectingthe base section 166 a to the hook 164 a. More particularly, the middlesection 168 a includes slopped shoulders 170 a, 170 b depending from thehook 164 a. The base section 166 a includes a pair of wings 172 a, 172 bhaving ends 174 a, 174 b, respectively, and projecting laterallyoutwardly from the shoulders 170 a, 170 b, respectively. The basesection 166 a is sized and shaped so as to be received in the groove 140of the folding plate assembly 128 (see FIGS. 6-8). More particularly,when the base section 166 a is placed in the groove 140, the wings 172a, 172 b project laterally outwardly from the groove 140 into the spaces160 a, 160 b, respectively, such that the ends 174 a, 174 b thereof arein a generally abutting relationship relative to the upper inner lateraledges 156 a, 156 b, respectively, of the side plates 146 a, 146 b,respectively, without interfering with the pivoting movement of the sideplates 146 a, 146 b. As a result, the ends 174 a, 174 b of the wings 172a, 172 b are positioned laterally outwardly (i.e., offset) from, or aresubstantially aligned with, folding lines (see broken lines I and J inFIG. 8) defined by lateral outer edges of the bearings 144 a and theconnectors 148 a and by lateral outer edges of the bearings 144 b andthe connectors 148 b, respectively, when the side plates 146 a, 146 bmove from their expanded positions to their collapsed positions.

FIG. 10B illustrates a clothes hanger 162 b constructed in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention. The hanger 162 b has aconstruction that is basically identical to that of the hanger 162 ashown in FIG. 10A, except that the hanger 162 b is not made from a metalwire, but is made from another suitable material, such as plastic ormetal. More particularly, the hanger 162 b is provided with a rib/webconstruction (i.e., has a plurality of ribs 176 and a plurality of webs178). The hanger 162 b is also equipped with a plurality of nipples 179provided on a base section 166 b of the hanger 162 b so that a necktieor belt can be hung from the base section 166 b between an adjacent pairof the nipples 179. In this regard, the base section 166 b can beprovided or coated with a conventional non-slip material to prevent thenecktie or the belt from slipping off from the base section 166 b. Ahook 164 b of the hanger 162 b can be replaced with a different hook,such as the metal wire hook 164 a of the hanger 162 a shown in FIG. 10A.Such a hook can be fixedly or rotatably attached to the rest of the hook162 b.

For the sake of clarity, the operation of the folding machine 100 willbe discussed below in conjunction with the hanger 162 a only. It should,however, be understood that the hanger 162 b or differently constructedhangers may be used together with the folding machine 100.

Referring now to FIGS. 11A-11D, to fold a shirt 180, the base section166 a of the hanger 162 a is inserted in the groove 140 of the centerplate 130 such that the ends 174 a, 174 b of the hanger 162 arepositioned in the space 160 a, 160 b, respectively, of the folding plateassembly 128 (see also FIG. 7). If the side plates 146 a, 146 b arenormally positioned or rest in their collapsed positions (see FIG. 8),the foot-operated valve 114 (see FIG. 6) is depressed so as to move theside plates 146 a, 146 b from their collapsed positions to theirexpanded positions (see FIG. 7). Alternatively, the folding machine 100can be designed such that the side plates 146 a, 146 b normally rest intheir expanded positions. With the side plates 146 a, 146 b positionedin their expanded positions (i.e., while the foot-operated valve 114 isdepressed), the shirt 180 is placed over the folding plate assembly 128(see FIG. 11A). One or more buttons 182 of the shirt 180 is thenbuttoned up (see FIG. 11B). Next, sleeves 184 a, 184 b of the shirt 180are manually folded rearwardly over the side plates 146 b, 146 b,respectively, (as indicated by arrows K and L in FIG. 11B) onto a rearsurface of the folding plate assembly 128. With the sleeves 184 a, 184 bmanually held in their folded positions, the foot-operated valve 114 isreleased so as to cause the side plates 146 a, 146 b to pivot from theirexpanded positions (see FIG. 7) to their collapsed positions (see FIG.8) such that the shirt 180 is folded about the fold lines I and J (seeFIGS. 8 and 11C). After a storage bag is pulled from the roll 122 (seeFIG. 6) over the folded shirt 180, the shirt 180 is removed from thefolding plate assembly 128 (see FIG. 11D) by pulling the hanger 162 aupwardly.

The present invention have numerous advantages over the prior art. Forinstance, the folding plate assembly 128 is constructed so that itinhibits formation of folds or wrinkles in the shirt 180 when the shirt180 is initially placed over the folding plate assembly 128 (see FIGS.11A and 11B), when the shirt 180 is folded by the side plates 146 a, 146b (see FIG. 11C) and/or when the folded shirt 180 is removed from thefolding plate assembly 128 (see FIG. 11D). More particularly, becausethe folding plate assembly 128, including the side plates 146 a, 146 band the center plate 130, is provided with a size which is larger thanthat of a conventional folding plate assembly, it properly supports theshirt 180, thereby inhibiting wrinkles/folds formation. Moreover,because the upper horizontal edges 150 a, 150 b of the side plates 146a, 146 b, respectively, lift up shoulder portions 186 a, 186 b,respectively, of the shirt 180, they function to flatten out a lowerportion 188 of the shirt 180 (see FIGS. 11A and 11B), thereby furtherinhibiting wrinkles/folds formation. In addition, the ends 174 a, 174 bof the hanger 162 a extend laterally outwardly beyond, or aresubstantially align with, the fold lines I and J (see FIG. 8). As aresult, when the shirt 180 is folded by the movement of the side plates146 a, 146 b from their expanded positions to their collapsed positionsand is removed from the folding plate assembly 128, the ends 174 a, 174b of the hanger 162 inhibit the folded shirt 180 from collapsing andthereby keep the entire folded shirt 180 substantially free of folds orwrinkles (see FIG. 11D). Further, because the slopped edges 154 a, 154 bof the side plates 146 a, 146 b, respectively, are provided toaccommodate placement of a relatively small shirt over the folding plateassembly 128 (e.g., the slopped edges 154 a, 154 b function to preventshoulder portions of such a shirt from being lifted up excessively), thepresent invention is adapted for use in connection with many differentlysized shirts.

FIGS. 12 and 13 depict a clothes hanger 200 a constructed in accordancea further embodiment of the present invention. The hanger 200 isbasically identical, in construction, function and use, to the hanger162 a shown in FIG. 10A, except as discussed below. Unlike the hanger162 a, the hanger 200 is sized and shaped for hanging a shirt or clothin its non-folded form (see FIG. 13) and is therefore adapted for useindependently from the folding machine 100 shown in FIGS. 6-9. Thehanger 200 will be discussed in greater detail below.

With reference to FIG. 12, the hanger 200, which can be made from anysuitable material (e.g., a conventional metal wire), includes a hook 202for supporting or suspending the hanger 200 from a supporting member(not shown), such as a rod, a clothes hook, etc., a base section 204 forsupporting a cloth on the hanger 200, and a middle section 206connecting the base section 204 to the hook 202. The middle section 206includes shoulders 208, 210, which have upper portions 212, 214,respectively, depending from the hook 202 and slopped lower portions216, 218, respectively, extending laterally downwardly from the upperportions 212, 214, respectively. The base section 204 includes a lowermember 220, which is oriented substantially horizontally, and a pair ofupper members 222, 224, which project laterally outwardly from the lowerportions 216, 218, respectively, of the middle section 206 and terminateat lateral ends 226, 228, respectively. Each of the upper members 222,224 of the base section 204 is oriented substantially horizontally.Alternatively, each of the upper members 222, 224 may be sloppedslightly downwardly as they project from the lower portions 216, 218,respectively, toward the lateral ends 226, 228, respectively. Forinstance, the upper members 222, 224 may be slopped at an angle withinthe range of from 0° to about 15° (see, e.g., FIG. 15). A side member230 connects the upper member 222 to the lower member 204, while a sidemember 232 connects the upper member 224 to the lower member 204. Theside members 230, 232 are oriented substantially vertically, althoughthey may deviate from their corresponding vertical axes.

FIG. 13 illustrates a shirt 234 hung from the hanger 200. When the shirt234 is properly placed on the hanger 200, the middle section 206 of thehanger 200 supports or engages a collar portion 236 of the shirt 234 ina conventional manner. The upper members 222, 224 of the base section204 are sized and shaped so as to upwardly lift shoulder portions 238,240, respectively, of the shirt 234 and maintain same substantiallyhorizontally. More particularly, the lateral ends 226, 228 of the uppermembers 222, 224, respectively, of the hanger 200 are substantiallyaligned laterally with lateral ends 242, 244 of the shoulder portions238, 240, respectively, of the shirt 234 (i.e., junctions between theshoulder portions 238, 240 and sleeve portions 246, 248, respectively,of the shirt 234). For instance, the lateral width of the base section204 can be approximately 18 or 19 inches long. As a result, the shoulderportions 238, 240, and more specifically, their lateral ends 242, 246,are lifted upwardly by the lateral ends 226, 228, respectively, of thebase section 204, causing a lower or waist portion 250 of the shirt 234to expand laterally outwardly (as indicated by Arrows 252, 254) andthereby inhibiting the formation of wrinkles or folds in the lowerportion 250 of the shirt 234. That is, the lower portion 250 of theshirt 234 is inhibited from sagging laterally inwardly and folding uponitself. As a result, the shirt's lower portion 250 is substantially freeof wrinkles or folds when the shirt 234 is hung from the hanger 200.

It is noted that the hanger 200 can be used for hanging many differenttypes of cloth, such as shirts, sweaters, jackets, etc. For instance,the hanger 200 may be adapted to hang robes or collarless garments(e.g., vestments worm by clergy or entertainers) by modifying the middlesection 206. The hanger 200 can also be made from many differentmaterials. The sizes and/or shapes of various components of the hanger200 can vary or be modified. For instance, each of the upper members222, 224 of the hanger 200 can have a wavy shape, rather than the linearshape illustrated in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention.Elements illustrated in FIG. 14, which correspond, either identically orsubstantially, to the elements described above with respect to theembodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13, have been designated by correspondingreference numerals increased by one hundred. Unless otherwise stated,the embodiment of FIG. 14 is constructed and assembled in the same basicmanner as the embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13.

With reference to FIG. 14, a hanger 300 has a construction basicallyidentical to that of the hanger 200 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, except asfollows. Unlike the hanger 200 of FIGS. 12 and 13, the hanger 300 is notmade from a metal wire, but is made from another suitable material, suchas plastic or metal. The hanger 300 has a rib/web construction (i.e.,has a plurality of ribs 356 and a plurality of webs 358) to providesufficient rigidity. The hanger 300 may be provided with a hook 302which is fixedly or rotatably attached to the hanger 300. The hanger 300also has a lower section 304 which may be equipped with a plurality ofnipples (not shown) similar in construction and function to the nipplesshown in FIG. 10B.

It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are merelyexemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variationsand modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention. All such variations and modifications are intended to beincluded within the scope of the invention.

1. A hanger for hanging a shirt having shoulder portions and a lowerportion, comprising a hook; and a body depending from said hook forsupporting the shirt therefrom, said body including laterally extendingbody sections for supporting the shoulder portions of the shirt when theshirt is hung from said body, said body sections being sized and shapedso as to orient the shoulder portions of the shirt such that the lowerportion of the shirt expands in a laterally outward direction andthereby inhibits the formation of folds therein.
 2. A hanger as claimedin claim 1, wherein said laterally extending body sections are sized andshaped so as to orient the shoulder portions of the shirt in asubstantially horizontal manner.
 3. A hanger as claimed in claim 1,wherein said laterally extending body sections are sized and shaped soas to lift the shoulder portions of the shirt such that the lowerportion of the shirt expands in a laterally outward direction andthereby inhibits the formation of folds therein.
 4. A hanger as claimedin claim 1, wherein said laterally extending body sections aresubstantially horizontal.
 5. A hanger as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid laterally extending body sections are sloped downwardly at an anglewithin the range of 0° to 15°.
 6. A hanger as claimed in claim 1,wherein each of said laterally extending body sections has a lengthsubstantially equal to a length of a corresponding one of the shouldersections of the shirt.
 7. In combination, a shirt having shoulderportions and a lower portion; and a hanger including a hook and a bodydepending from said hook, said shirt being hung from said body, saidbody including laterally extending body sections supporting saidshoulder portions of said shirt and orienting said shoulder portions ofsaid shirt such that said lower portion of said shirt expands in alaterally outward direction and thereby inhibits the formation of foldstherein.
 8. The combination as claimed in claim 7, wherein saidlaterally extending body sections are sized and shaped so as to orientsaid shoulder portions of said shirt in a substantially horizontalmanner.
 9. The combination as claimed in claim 7, wherein said laterallyextending body sections are sized and shaped so as to lift said shoulderportions of said shirt such that said lower portion of said shirtexpands in a laterally outward direction and thereby inhibits theformation of folds therein.
 10. The combination as claimed in claim 7,wherein said laterally extending body sections are substantiallyhorizontal.
 11. The combination as claimed in claim 7, wherein saidlaterally extending body sections are sloped downwardly at an anglewithin the range of 0° to 15°.
 12. The combination as claimed in claim7, wherein each of said laterally extending body sections has a lengthsubstantially equal to a length of a corresponding one of said shouldersections of said shirt.
 13. Apparatus for folding a shirt having firstand second shoulder portions, first and second side portions and a lowerportion, comprising a folding plate assembly including a center plate,which has first and second lateral sides, a first side plate, which ispivotably connected to said first lateral side of said center plate soas to pivot backwardly from a first extended position to a first foldedposition, and a second side plate, which is pivotably connected to saidsecond lateral side of said center plate so as to pivot backwardly froma second extended position to a second folded position, said foldingplate assembly being sized and shaped such that when the shirt is placedover said folding plate assembly, said first and second side plates aresubstantially aligned with the first and second side portions,respectively, of the shirt, said first and second side plates causingthe first and second side portions of the shirt to be folded behind theshirt when they pivot from said first and second extended positions,respectively, to said first and second folded positions, respectively,each of said first and second side plates having an upper edge which issubstantially horizontal so as to orient a corresponding one of thefirst and second shoulder portions of the shirt such that the lowerportion of the shirt expands in a laterally outward direction, therebyinhibiting the formation of folds in the lower portion of the shirt whenthe first and second side portions of the shirt are folded behind theshirt.
 14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein each of saidside plates includes a cutout formed to create a space for receiving oneof a pair of lateral ends of a hanger placed in a receptacle of saidcenter plate.